Fiona Philips’ husband Martin Frizell has given a heartbreaking insight into his wife’s life after her devastating Alzheimer’s diagnosis..
The 64-year-old journalist and broadcaster initially thought her symptoms, including brain fog, anxiety and a lack of interest in her marriage, were due to menopause.
However, she later learned that she had the neurodegenerative condition, which tragically took the lives of both her parents.
Her husband, now 66-years-old, gave up his job heading ITV’s This Morning to look after Fiona. The pair married in 1997, sharing two sons together, and now Martin has admitted that his wife “needs a lot of help” in her daily routine, reported the Mirror.
Opening up about Fiona’s daily routine, he writes in her upcoming memoir: Remember when? My Life With Alzheimer’s, which is being serialised in the Mail: “It is January 2025 as I write this, and Fiona needs a lot of help.
“She needs help showering and brushing her teeth. She can do these things physically, but is unable now to think about how she should do them..
“I wash Fiona’s hair because she wouldn’t know what shampoo or conditioner to use or how wet her hair needs to be or that she must rinse the soap suds out afterwards..
“And most nights I’ll say, ‘Right, we need to brush our teeth before we go to bed,’ and I’ll put the toothpaste on the brush and hand it to her.”
Fiona was diagnosed three years ago(Image: rune hellestad/Corbis via Getty Images)
Martin continued to explain that although Fiona can dress herself, she struggles to do so “correctly”, and sometimes puts on items the wrong way round.
He also shared that his wife becomes very fond of one piece of clothing and will want to wear it “over and over again.”
Fiona hosted GMTV for over a decade and was one of the “most in-demand” presenters in the UK. Martin has admitted that she is “still very stubborn” and “rails against” being told what to do.
Following Fiona’s diagnosis, Martin quit his job at This Morning after 10 years in 2024, saying he “expected his priorities to change”.
At the time of his exit, he announced: “Next year I’m expecting my family priorities to change so I need to free up time for them. I love my team at ITV and will miss them and the thrill of live telly but it’s an always on 24 hours a day, seven days a week commitment and I won’t be able to do both.”
